Weather Journal: Steady Winds but Calmer Weather

After a mid-afternoon lightning storm hit Manhattan on Tuesday, Greater New York will get a day off from an active mid-December weather pattern on Wednesday.

Shortly before 4 p.m., a December thundershower moved quickly across the city from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn and Queens with a brief downpour, gusty winds and a bit of lightning. LaGuardia Airport recorded the highest official wind gust of about 28 mph at around 3:51pm. Such storms aren’t necessarily unusual for December in Greater New York, but tracking right through the heart of the city is enough to get you noticed, if you’re an electricity-zapping cloud.

Wednesday’s weather will be a lot calmer, though steady strong winds may remain. Afternoon temperatures will be relatively warm for mid-December under sunny skies. Overnight, temperatures will plummet, however, well below freezing for outlying areas, and just above for the city itself. Winds could kick up in excess of 25 mph at times as Tuesday’s storm system gets pushed out to sea. Thursday looks to be a transition day while a looming blizzard builds across the midwest, potentially interfering with Chicago-bound air traffic.

Assuming we all survive the apocalypse on Friday, things could get interesting again weather-wise locally.

As the midwestern blizzard closes in to the tri-state on Friday, the storm may spark severe weather, including damaging winds and a tornado or two across a large part of the southeastern United States. It’s too early to say how far north those thunderstorms and strong winds will make it, but National Weather Service discussions have mentioned the chance of lightning and much stronger wind gusts than what the city experienced on Tuesday. Since the main part of the storm will pass north of the region, widespread accumulating snows shouldn’t fall. However, a dusting can’t be ruled out on Saturday, even for the city.

A stormier city?
Speaking of severe weather, back in September, New York City had a mini-tornado outbreak of its own. That storm, and an apparent shift toward more frequent tornadoes within the city limits over the last several years, have led some to wonder if severe weather will increasingly become yet another aspect of daily life in the five boroughs. The city has experienced more confirmed tornadoes in the past five years (seven) than in the previous 57 years combined, although it’s difficult to say whether the increased numbers are just chance, or a sign of a larger, more fundamental change in the atmosphere.

September’s mini-outbreak made Weather Journal’s shortlist of top regional weather stories of the year. Go ahead, vote now for the event you think was most important.

Wednesday’s Greater New York forecast roundup:

WSJ Headquarters in Manhattan:

Actual High: 49; High feels like: 45

Actual Low: 36; Low feels like: 33

Weather: Windy and dry

Brooklyn: 49/36

Queens: 50/35

Bronx: 49/34

Staten Island: 49/33

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: 46/23

Trenton, N.J.: 51/33

Islip, Long Island: 48/32

New Haven, Conn.: 47/28

Meteorologist Eric Holthaus contributes daily weather reports and analysis on Metropolis. For the latest on conditions in New York and elsewhere, follow his updates (@WSJweather) on Twitter.